Staff Book Review

Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke

In this alien invasion story, the aliens are peaceful and actually improve life on Earth, ending all war and hunger...which is cool and everything, but I think it's too simplistic. I don't believe that anything (let alone a friendly alien invasion) could make a "utopia" on Earth, free of war and hunger. I know this is science-FICTION, but I must say that it's just not possible.

Clarke does a great job creating suspense by keeping the Earthlings and the reader unaware of the appearance of these alien beings (they control Earth via radio from their orbiting motherships) until half-way through. For those of you who haven't read Childhood's End yet, I won't tell you what the aliens look like, but I will say that they are supposed to have first landed on Earth thousands of years ago, giving rare prehistoric on-lookers a glimpse of a popular "mythical" creature we speak of today. Clarke, you clever devil (*hint hint)!

Clarke goes on to describe in very intelligent detail the interactions between the humans and aliens, giving the story much philosophical weight towards cross-cultural relationships. The only thing that I dislike is the ending. If you've read any of my other reviews, this tends to be one of the things that bugs me the most about books...don't know why. I can't remember how it ends (I know, it's not very legit to criticize something when I can't even recall it, sorry) but I do know that I finished it feeling incomplete somehow. Clarke must have forgotten something. The title of the book implies that this alien civilization lifts mankind out of its seemingly self-destructive course up to that of more intelligence and maturity (the end of childhood *hint hint*), but you never feel like that was actually accomplished, and Clarke doesn't bother to explain why.

While I'm not satisfied enough with the book to give it a full 5-star rating, I must congratulate Mr. Clarke on a superb premise and intelligent imagination throughout the story.

RATING: 4 / 5 STARS

Book Review by Colin Lenehan at Cranesbill Books

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